Hideous World
by AxVoicexWithin
Summary: The world seemed to hate Scarlet. Her only option was to turn to the Baskervilles. But what happens when she meets a certain man holding the "Eye of Misfortune"? Will her lost memories return? Rated T for blood and some language.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Greetings everyone! Are you ready for this? :3 NEW STORY TIME! *Proceeds to dance with joy* I've had this idea in my head for awhile but... I got kinda lazy to start it! XP Anyway, hope you like this first chapter! :D

**Disclaimer:** I OWN NOTHING RELATED TO PANDORA HEARTS! ... Only my OC's. X3

Chapter 1~

For as long as she could remember, the world had been a cruel place. Because of the world, her memories were deprived to the point where she only knew her name, Scarlet.

The world seemed to hate her; to think, she would be frowned upon everywhere she went. Her existence was shunned into darkness and she was forced to take refuge in the very city where the tragedy all began; Sabrie.

A maze of ruined buildings, forsaken squares, and darkened alleys became her lonely home. Scarlet's life was an empty shell with no family or friends. That was until a similar soul reached out to her.

Tilly was in a similar situation. Her family had abandoned her and she had to get by on her own. Despite her pitiful position, Tilly remained a happy and carefree little girl. Her aura was cheerful, and Scarlet in a sense, envied it. Regardless of her unintentional jealousy, Scarlet liked Tilly and the two became best friends. However, storm clouds were looming over them…

XxX

A few years passed and the two had remained friends. Tilly led the way in every adventure and Scarlet would follow along without saying a single word. In fact, it was only on rare occasions that Scarlet would open her mouth to speak. She never went against what Tilly told her, but that was all about to change. Food was becoming more and more scarce in the ruins of Sabrie and the two friends were getting desperate.

On many occasions, Tilly and Scarlet would see one of the orphans from the House of Fianna pass them by in the streets. One day, the orphan rushed past them faster than usual. The two were puzzled as to why he was acting so uneasy. However, it came to Tilly's attention that the little boy was carrying a loaf of bread; the first loaf they'd seen in two days.

As quick as her realization came, Tilly had booked it after the young boy. Scarlet was confused but followed her anyway. She tried to keep up but Tilly was too fast for her. Scarlet rounded a corner and rushed down the alleyway to find the young orphan passed out (or dead, Scarlet really didn't know) with a bloodied blow to the side of his head. Beside the motionless body stood Tilly holding the bread in one hand and a blood-covered brick in the other. Scarlet was shocked. Shocked to the point where she had no choice but to speak her mind:

"What have you done?" she asked as she rushed to see if the boy was alright. Her stomach flipped at the realization that he was dead.

Tilly shrugged as if the action she committed was nothing, "Nothing. I just did what I had to—"

"So you killed him?"

"What? Did you think I'd just ask him for it?" Tilly retorted. Scarlet froze when she saw a wicked smirk cross her friend's face, "This is how things work around here Scarlet. You can't be so kind to people."

Scarlet was outraged. Her deep brown eyes narrowed, "I can't believe you! H-he was just a little boy!"

Tilly scoffed, "Please! You would've done the same thing!" she snapped.

"I wouldn't!"

"You would!"

"Shut up! You act like you know me, but you don't, Tilly!" Scarlet practically screamed at her friend before dashing off past her. Tilly didn't follow her, but instead stood in shock; she had never heard Scarlet speak so much, let alone yell and scream. _Maybe what I did wasn't right…_ she thought as she stood in silence next to the lifeless body beside her.

XxX

Scarlet didn't stop running. Her long, dark crimson hair flew behind her as she dashed off through the empty streets. It wasn't until she thought she was far enough from her friend that she stopped her running. She slid down to the ground as her legs gave out from exhaustion and let out a sigh.

_I must be going insane. There's no way Tilly would hurt anyone! Tilly's kind, and gentle!_ She clutched her hands in her hair as if she was trying to hold onto the last ounce of mental stability she possessed, _No! It's a lie! I'm not insane. It's the world! The world is the one that's insane! It's hideous! Disgusting! Dreadful! The whole thing! And the people who live in it! They're all liars and cheats!_ Her head was pounding out of anger and confusion.

"Do you wish to make the pain end?" a nostalgic voice called from the depths of her mind. Scarlet thought it was her imagination playing tricks on her, but a black figure of a silhouette with a devious smirk appeared before her. Caught off guard by the sudden appearance, Scarlet drew back, terror filling her eyes.

The figure made a sound that seemed like an echoed chuckle, "Don't be afraid dear. I'm not an enemy. Think of me as a guide that comes to you when you need it most."

The fear in Scarlet's eyes quickly vanished. As unreal as the situation was, the voice she was hearing was gentle and smooth but had a hint of venom in it. With slight courage, she managed to reply to the strange voice, "Why are you here? What do you want?"

The silhouette drifted swiftly back and forth, side to side, "I've come to help you ease the pain you're feeling. You say the world is a cruel place, so I'm here to give you a suggestion to fix this issue."

"And that is?" Scarlet's tone was quiet and nervous.

A long pause dragged out into silence and Scarlet began wondering about her sanity again but the figure finally responded, "You're problem is not with the world, but with that friend of yours. She's a nuisance. An insignificant speck that's leading you down the wrong path," the figure stopped for a moment after seeing Scarlet's bewildered expression, "The answer is simple. All you need to do, is kill her."

Dark brown eyes widened at the suggestion, "What? B-but Tilly is—"

"A rotten piece of scum who killed an innocent child. Her crime is punishable by death, don't you think?" The voice cut in. Scarlet stopped with her defense for a moment.

"B-but…" she really couldn't think of an excuse. Tilly had killed a young boy all for the sake of getting a loaf of bread.

"An eye for an eye Scarlet. It's the only way to make your pain vanish."

Silence loomed over the girl and her eyes became seemingly lifeless. Would she really kill her friend if it meant gaining happiness within the world?

XxX

Tilly rushed down the streets calling out for her friend. She knew she'd messed up and was hoping to apologize to Scarlet for her wrongdoings.

She came into a dark alleyway and stopped for a moment to look around, "Scarlet? Are you in here?" she called, "I'm sorry for what I did. I know it was wrong and I don't know what got into me." She turned to see Scarlet standing behind her with a blank face, a sigh of relief escaping her.

"It's alright, Tilly. I'm over it now," Scarlet said with her quiet tone.

"Well good," Tilly's eyes became calm once more, "Why don't we head back and share this loaf of bread then?" she said with a smile. The red head nodded and Tilly turned to walk out of the alley.

Scarlet followed behind her quietly but stopped at the end of the alleyway, "Hey Tilly?"

Tilly, not knowing that her friend behind her had stopped, continued to walk, "Yeah?"

A silence fell over them with an ominous sense and Scarlet's eyes began to tear up, "I'm sorry…"

Tilly turned to look at her but instead was met by a gruesome end.

XxX

Scarlet was frozen; did she really just… kill her best friend? Nothing in her head made any sense anymore and she dropped to her knees before the fresh corpse. The happiness that the strange voice promised her wasn't coming. Only guilt and hatred. She let out a scream of despair before finally breaking out into tears.

_This isn't how I thought I would feel at all. I'm just feeling more pain, more sorrow! The world really is ugly. Ugly! Ugly! Ugly! Hate it! I hate it so much!_ Her cries softened into silence once more, _I really am insane! To think the world could give me happiness! Hah! It's so hideous, I can't stand having to look at it!_

A shaky hand rose to her eye and with the laugh of a psychotic maniac, she brutally gouged the orb out from its socket and proceeded to do the same with the other until she was enveloped in blackness. She began to laugh once more:

"See world? Now I don't have to look at you anymore! You can't hurt me with your foulness and cruelty! In fact, I spit upon you!" she stated before doing just that and spitting on the floor.

"You shouldn't have done that Scarlet. You know that wasn't the correct way of going about this," the voice returned with a tone of disappointment, "To think you'd lose it so easily."

The pain from her now empty eye sockets was becoming unbearable and she covered them in an attempt to stop the bleeding, "D-don't talk to me. I don't need your sympathy."

"I don't intend to sympathize with you anyway. I'm only trying to say that your decision was not wise. The world doesn't hold a grudge against you, and it's not as ugly as you may think."

"What do you know about it?" her tone was quiet yet harsh.

"More than you think. And I'm asking you, please. Just give the world another chance. You shouldn't be so quick to judge."

Scarlet scoffed, "Well it's a little late for that now. I just dug out my eyes about this and now you're asking me to give second chances? How stupid are you?"

The voice made a small laugh, "You think I'd say this without thinking this through? What kind of voice of reason do you think I am?"

Another pause came between them and Scarlet wasn't sure if the silhouette had left or if it was just messing with her. But suddenly, what seemed like a requiem escaped the voice's lips and Scarlet felt another presence enter the alleyway.

"W-who's there?" she asked nervously. The aura she sensed was one to be feared and it left her feeling uneasy.

Although Scarlet couldn't see the new presence that had just entered, she was correct about sensing unease. The new figure was a small, ethereal girl with long, copper-colored hair and reddish-brown eyes. At first glance, she was just a creepy looking girl, but the stitches over her mouth were a dead giveaway that she wasn't from the same dimension. Along with her bizarre mouth, was the blood-covered butcher apron, bare feet, and large cross between a butcher knife and ax type of weapon. She looked over at the black silhouette and smirked wickedly.

_My, it sure has been awhile since I've seen this place. It's all so familiar._ The new figure thought with a slight giggle. Even though she couldn't physically open her mouth to speak, she seemed to be communicating through telepathy. Whatever she was using, Scarlet could here her and so could the silhouette.

"I'm sure it has, Iris. Or should I call you by your chain name? What was it again? Oh yes, The Cook," the voice almost taunted.

The chain, now known as Iris, laughed at the comment, _You're words are sly as usual I see. But enough catching up, what have you called me here for?_

The silhouette wrapped its arms around Scarlet, "I would like you to form a contract with this young one here. If that's not too much to ask."

Iris giggled once more, "I had a feeling you'd say that," she looked the girl in question over, _The more I look at her, the more I sense a lot of you inside her._

"I wonder why?" the voice replied with a hint of sarcasm. Scarlet had no idea what the two were talking about so she remained quiet, but the aura that the chain was giving off was making her nauseous.

Iris was silent for a moment before continuing, _Very well then. I'll form a contract with her. But you know my contracts come with a price._

"And what might that be?" Scarlet finally joined the conversation.

The chain's attention turned back to the girl, _Your mouth. I'm quite fond of it. It looks as if it would make the most wicked expressions, _she laughed, _If you give me the use of your mouth and voice, I'll give you my eyes and form a contract with you._

Scarlet pondered the decision for a moment. Her speech wasn't too important. She got by without speaking for the most part so losing the use of her mouth didn't seem like such a big deal, "Fine. Form a contract with me Cook."

Iris' smirk widened, _Very well then._ She proceeded to have Scarlet drink her blood before stitching her mouth shut with the same thread which had previously sealed her own. Once the stitches were made, she dug out her own eyes carefully and placed them in Scarlet's hollow eye sockets. When everything was done, Iris was left with blood flowing down her face to the point where she had to cover her own sockets with a thick piece of cloth. Even so, the blood still poured out and seeped through the cloth, creating an even more frightening image than before.

Iris was finally able to open her mouth and the moment she was able to, an unusual grin appeared, "Scarlet, can you see?"

Scarlet's new eyes opened to reveal their reddish-brown hue. She looked around for a moment, taking everything in. The alley, the dark silhouette, the corpse of her best friend. It was all slowly coming back to her. She glanced over at Iris for a moment but in that time, all she felt was fear. She tried to back away from the small girl but couldn't get too far.

Said girl let out the most wicked laughter at the other's fright. She could no longer see, but she had other ways of sensing fear, "Silly girl! Did you think I was going to look different? Hate to disappoint you but unfortunately you're stuck with me."

Scarlet tried to retort, but the stitches over her lips were sealed so tight that she couldn't open her mouth. Iris only continued to laugh:

"Now now, don't make such a pitiful face dear. It's not a bad thing. Besides, you're the one who agreed to all of this."

The black figured drifted around the two as if trying to get their attention. The others eventually looked towards it:

"If you two are quite finished, I'd like to discuss something."

The two in question gave it their full attention before it continued to speak, "Scarlet, you're probably wondering why I'm going to all this trouble of helping you. If you really must know, it's because there's something you need to do."

Scarlet looked at the figure both expectantly and puzzled.

"You need to find out the truth of 100 years ago in the Tragedy of Sabrie. Your past is intertwined with the events of that day," the voice paused for a moment, "And also, I need to ask _him_ why it happened."

The voice's words only confused Scarlet. Her, intertwined with the Tragedy of Sabrie? And who did she mean by "him"? None of it made any sense in her head.

_Who are you?_ She asked through her thoughts. The silhouette's devious smile reappeared:

"You may call me Miranda Barma."

**A/N:** So that's the end of chapter one. Yay! Creepy Miranda voice! :D R&R please. I wanna know what people thought. *Skips off*


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Here's chapter 2 for you! :D It's amusing writing for a character who can only express thoughts. =w= Hope you all like this chapter~

**Disclaimer:** Pandora Hearts isn't mine. I only own my OC. *Flies away into the sunset*

* * *

><p>Chapter 2~<p>

Foot steps echoed through the empty streets of the waste land. Scarlet was still in slight terror due to the happenings that had just occurred but the silence seemed somewhat peaceful to her. She passed through the city feeling more tranquil with every echoing step.

Iris skipped along, a creepy smirk plastered on her lips, "I still don't understand much of this. Miranda must have some sort of complicated plan thought out."

Scarlet didn't bother to remark with a thought and kept her mind clear. Iris stopped skipping and turned back toward her new contractor:

"You know, you're pretty quiet. Even in your mind," her smile became wicked, "I thought I'd be able to have fun messing with you, but I guess I was wrong," she stated with a slightly sarcastic sigh.

The muted girl ignored her chain's retorts; she was too busy replaying the events from earlier in her head:

XxX

_The expression on Scarlet's face grew more puzzled, ~Miranda… Barma?~ she thought._

_The figure nodded, "Anyway, now that introductions have been made, I have a task for the two of you."_

_The duo addressed turned towards her, giving her their full attention._

_"In order for you to get close enough to the truth, you need to go to the very people who started everything."_

_Scarlet was confused by the statement while Iris giggled:_

_"Are you implying what I think you're implying?" she asked through her giggling._

_Miranda was quiet for a moment, but then retorted by saying, "Iris, you of all people should know the answer. Don't waste my time with silly comments."_

_The chain only continued to giggle while the other two chose to ignore her._

_"As I was saying," Miranda continued. A hint of annoyance in her tone, "It's quite simple. The answer you're searching for, lies within the Baskervilles."_

_Scarlet's head tilted, ~The Baskervilles?~_

_Iris let out a rather obnoxious laugh, "I knew it! You're so predictable, Miranda!"_

_Again, Miranda ignored the chain's provoking, "Yes. They're the key to finding out who you are," she paused as she realized her energy was starting to fade, "Looks as though my time's up so I'll say it as simply as I can. Find the Baskervilles. Iris should be able to guide you to them."_

_Scarlet's face was blank from her puzzlement and Miranda knew it, but there was nothing she could do:_

_"One last thing… Don't let anyone find out that I still exist."_

_Scarlet's eyes widened, ~But why?~ she thought._

_"If people found out, they'd…" her voice trailed off as her black silhouette vanished._

_Silence filled the alley once more; only the contractor and her chain remained._

XxX

If Scarlet had the ability to sigh, she would've. The entire situation didn't make much sense to her and it was getting frustrating. Who was Miranda anyway? She'd never heard of the woman, despite her noble title as a Barma.

The two continued along through the city in silence for the most part. The only thing to keep Scarlet from believing she had gone deaf was the quiet humming of her chain who pranced along happily in front of her. The more she watched Iris, the more she seemed like Tilly. Of course, they looked nothing alike, but their behavior was similar. It was probably the reason why Scarlet no longer feared her.

"By the way," The Cook started as she continued to skip, "You're probably wondering who Miranda is, aren't you?" She smiled her usual creepy smile at her contractor.

Scarlet looked to her chain and nodded, _Yes._ The chain laughed:

"Well she's obviously not human! Or at least, not anymore. But that doesn't really matter at the moment."

_So who is she then?_ Scarlet emphasized the question in her head.

Iris stopped once more and gave the girl a grin, "It's. A. Secret~!" she continued to skip along, leaving Scarlet even more confused.

_Hey, that's not fair,_ she tried to reason, but the chain only continued to giggle:

"It's not my place to tell you silly! Of all people, Miranda should tell you that herself!" She stopped and put a finger to her chin in a thoughtful manner, "Or maybe she wants you to find out for yourself!" She let out a dramatic gasp but her fooling around seized when she realized that Scarlet had continued to walk on ahead while she was babbling on. "H-hey! Don't just blow me off like that!" she called as she ran to catch up with the red head.

Scarlet didn't bother looking at her, _If you're going to imply that you're intending to give me answers to my questions, I'd appreciate it if you didn't waste my time with such nonsense. I just want to hurry and find the Baskervilles,_ she informed before continuing to walk down the road.

Iris huffed and walked on with her. It didn't seem like she was going to have any fun messing with her new partner.

XxX

Meanwhile, somewhere off in the same city, a carriage had just pulled up in front of the outskirts. The door opened and out stepped the younger of the two adoptive Nightray sons, Vincent Nightray. He'd been called to Sabrie to discuss certain matters regarding the sealing stones and the keys to the Gates of Abyss.

He entered through a passageway, down some stairs, and past a few doors before reaching the center of the hideout. He looked upon the Gate to the Abyss before him, a sense of nostalgia looming over. To think, a hundred years ago from that day, he had successfully managed to open all of the gates and suck everything into total darkness. It was all because of her. Because of Miranda Barma. She had fed him lies with her poisonous words and convinced him that the only way he could save his older brother was by creating what was known as the Tragedy of Sabrie.

_That's right, it wasn't my fault at all…_ he thought as he closed his eyes and smiled with content, _It was all her fault. Miranda Barma. Such a witch she had been. I'd never been fooled so easily…_

He glanced around the room to see if anyone else was there. Nobody had shown up yet so he assumed he was earlier than usual. The blonde stepped closer to the gate and placed a hand on it gently. He was met by the same feeling he felt back then, nothingness.

He began to remorse over his actions from that day however, whenever he thought about his deeds, he'd always conclude with the same answer:

_It was all for him. For Gil…_ The words replayed over and over in his head like a broken record but the more he repeated them, the more he felt at ease with his decisions.

Suddenly, as if from nowhere, a voice called out in what sounded like a threatening screech, "_You're a pathetic little child. You always have been._"

Vincent's mismatched eyes widened at the sound. He knew that voice. It was the same one from back then. It was _her_ voice.

_Miranda…!_ Vincent's inner voice yelled. Her words were the last thing he ever wanted to hear. She'd ruined everything for him and he hated her with an endless passion; passion which was as strong as his unconditional love for Gil.

Almost instantly, Vincent pulled from his coat pocket a small stuffed doll and a pair of scissors and began to snip away at the object. _I hate her! Disgusting woman! She did all of this! Not me! How dare she?_

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of foot steps rushing towards him. He turned to see Lottie dashing towards him, looking slightly out of breath, "There you are Vincent, I've been looking everywhere for you!" she declared between breaths.

Vincent's expression showed puzzlement, "What for? Where is everyone?"

"In one of the chambers down the hall. They sent me to come find you. We've captured an intruder! Come quickly!" she signaled for him to follow her and so he did. The two rushed through a dark tunnel into the chamber previously mentioned and just as Lottie said, everyone was there, including the captured intruder. However, something about her seemed… familiar…

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><p><strong>AN:** So that's chapter 2! It's shorter than the first chapter but yeah. Hope you're all liking it so far. Chapter 3 should be out soon (I hope X3). R&R please. I like opinions. :P


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